Saif of Kafuristan
Saif ibn Ahmed al-Razama (born 3596) is current the Caliph of the Razamid Caliphate. He ascended to the throne in August 3675 after the death of his elder brother Mukrin. Prior to that, he served as Qatib (3671-3695), Interior Minister (3658-3675) and Governor of Nekkah (3650-3658). Early life Saif was born to Sheikh Ahmed ibn Abdullah and his second wife, Jumana in 3596. Despite his readily apparent intellect, he chose not to attend university, deciding to stay behind, joining the Razama tribe's military forces which had spent the last twenty years resisting the communist regime and would continue to do so for several more years. When his elder brother Khalid ibn Ahmed succeeded Ahmed as Sheikh upon his death in 3640, Saif was appointed to a senior position in tribal army. A capable military strategist, Saif was crucial to Khalid's rise to power in the wake of the collapse of the communist government in 3649, destroying resistance and securing the Kafuri capital, al-Kasraj. Government After Khalid proclaimed himself Sultan, Saif was appointed Governor of Nekkah. As Governor, he imposed harsh law-and-order policies on the governorate. In 3656, when riots swept through Kafuristan, Saif ruthlessly crushed even minor unrest, ensuring that major riots never erupted in Nekkah. When Khalid, now Caliph, died in 3658, it was expected that Saif would be promoted into the Council of Ministers; however, he was disappointed when Khalid's successor, Bandar ibn Ahmed, passed him over. However, two years later, Bandar's nominated successor Mohammed ibn Ahmed died, vacating the position of Interior Minister. Saif, whose authoritarian tendencies had been noted by the Caliph, was selected to replace him. In 3665, with the support of the new Caliph, Mukrin ibn Ahmed, who was substantially more conservative than his predecessor Bandar, Saif played a part in a vicious purge of senior military officers. By now, Saif had become one of the most influential conservative princes, and was outspoken in his opposition to attempts at reform by more liberal princes, led by his cousin Ali ibn Ameen. Liberal princes - led by seven particularly influential princes, the so-called Jamaza Seven (with Ali pre-eminent among them) - began organising in 3666. In response, Saif established the conservative, if not reactionary, Awliya faction, becoming its leader. Saif was appointed Qatib in 3671 by Mukrin, who wanted to ensure that he would be succeeded by a similarly conservative leader. As Qatib, Saif successfully held together the two opposing factions of the Razama family. In 3673, he was responsible for the sacking of his younger brother, Defence Minister Harun ibn Ahmed, after he made injudicious comments about Solentia and over-reacting to trivial situations (for example, sending a brigade of troops to quell a minor protest). During Saif's tenure as Qatib, the government's handling of foreign affairs resulted in the expansion of the Razamid Caliphate. For several years, the Caliph (himself a former Foreign Minister), Saif and his Foreign Minister, Ali ibn Ameen, had provided covert support to Kalopian-Wantuni secret police chief Kostaq Fisnik, helping him amass supporters for a pro-Razamid coup. Fisnik overthrew the government of Kalopia-Wantuni in 3673, invited the Razamid military into the country, proclaimed himself the leader of the Kalopian-Wantuni government and swore loyalty to the Caliphate. Two years later, the Sultan of Badara, Zayn bin Hamad al-Majali, also pledged loyalty to the Caliphate. Caliph In August 3675, Mukrin died at the age of eighty-four. As the post of Crown Prince had been abolished in a recent modernisation of the government, it was not entirely certain as to whether Saif would ascend to the throne as was expected. In the end, after extensive discussions with Razamid power-brokers, Saif was chosen as the next Caliph, and quickly confirmed by the Shura.